IWCL Case Studies

This page contains portrayals highlighting and documenting the community success stories and work being done by Indigenous women leaders. Videos will play from Coady Institute’s YouTube channel.

Case Study: Women of Membertou (PDF) illustrates how innovative approaches to education can be securely tethered to the richness of the past, providing a platform for children’s well-being and educational achievement.

Case study video: The Women of Membertou, Nova Scotia The story of Sharon Bernard and the Membertou School is just one example of how women are weaving and strengthening the social fabric of Membertou alongside its amazing recent economic growth (see the separate Membertou case study in this series). This case study illustrates how innovative approaches to education can be securely tethered to the richness of the past. The case helps us to understand how what is missing in one generation is often abundant in another.

Case Study: Brokenhead, Ojibway Nation (PDF) Due to the insightful leadership of the Band’s Chief, Deborah Grace Chief, the hard work of many community members and collaboration with neighbouring First Nation communities, Brokenhead was able to take a big step towards implementing its vision of economic self-sufficiency.

Case Study Video: Brokenhead, Ojibway Nation A video about Brokenhead Ojibway Nation in Manitoba and the successful ventures, in particular, the South Beach Casino and resort, that have provided opportunities for members and others to find employment and return home.

Case Study: Fort McKay First Nation Alberta (PDF) explores the unique circumstances that have accompanied the development of Alberta’s oil sands. It will also delve into the lives of several women who have been navigating these circumstances for themselves and their community.

Case study video: Fort McKay, Alberta. This video explores the lives of Aboriginal women who are navigating social and economic changes in their small, northern community. Who were their role models? How did they manage change? What is their collective vision for the future?

Case Study: Membertou First Nation (PDF) explores the process of Membertou’s transformation from a welfare reserve completely dependent on federal funding to one of Cape Breton’s economic bright spots. In delving into the community’s story, we will see that in order to transform itself, Membertou mobilized its most important asset – its people.

Case study video: Membertou First Nation, Nova Scotia.The community of Membertou has come a long way to be crowned the “jewel of Cape Breton”. Once a small and thriving reserve in the heart of Sydney — a city perched on the northeast shore of Cape Breton Island — it was forcibly relocated from its premium lands on the harbour in the 1920s.

Case study: The Butterfly Club in Winnipeg (PDF) provides a space for Aboriginal girls between the ages of nine and twelve, where they can explore their cultural and spiritual roots while navigating the realities of contemporary urban living.

Case study video: K’alemi Dene SchoolK’alemi Dene School is grounded in the rich ancestral culture of its community. The school owes it existence to a group of dedicated women who knew their children would benefit from a unique form of education.

Case study video: St. Mary’s Maliseet Nation St. Mary’s First Nation is the largest of Maliseet Nations along the St. John River in New Brunswick. The reserve is self-sufficient and boasts community-supported economic social development programs available to members on and off-reserve.